Chapter 137: Chapter 137: You Really Think I Won’t Hit a Woman? (One More)
Upon hearing the words of the Blood Demoness, everyone looked towards Shen Rongyin.
Kong Qingquan frowned. "Li Baiyang is most skilled in the game of chess, but that is only what outsiders are aware of. His true expertise lies in calligraphy. I once had the fortune to see one of his pieces, and it seemed somewhat similar to the script on this Historical Text."
At these words, even Zhao Qixian couldn’t help but furrow his brow. If that was the case, it was likely that Shen Rongyin really did recognize the script on the Stone Stele. Finding National Master Li Baiyang was out of the question. That old man stayed within Capital City, hardly ever leaving his manor. He even declined His Majesty’s summons with claims of grave illness, so getting any information out of him would be nearly impossible. If the script written by Li Baiyang truly resembled the Historical Text, then he might be secretly investigating it. He truly wasn’t afraid of being beheaded by His Majesty for doing so.
Being stared at by so many people made Shen Rongyin feel uncomfortable. She had intended not to speak, but to her surprise, the Blood Demoness knew so much. It appeared she could no longer hide her knowledge. For her, staying close to Xu Nian and finding an opportunity to kill him was essential for her survival; if she remained silent, Xu Nian might become suspicious.
"I do recognize this kind of script," Shen Rongyin said gravely. "I also know what is written there, but why should I tell you all?"
Everyone was stunned.
Xu Nian also frowned. Is this woman doing this on purpose? With my temper, if this were private, I’d give her six good slaps!
The Players reacted immediately.
"Damn, is this woman so bold?" one exclaimed.
"The last one who talked like this got beaten so badly, his family couldn’t even recognize him," another added.
"Really think I won’t hit a woman? I hate idiotic women who can’t grasp the situation they’re in the most."
"People like that don’t last more than one episode in a drama!"
A few hot-tempered Players immediately rolled up their sleeves and charged fiercely towards her, their menacing expressions quite something. One of them shouted, "If you don’t spit it out, I’ll have to get rough! My fist is as big as a punching bag; if it lands, Miss, you might just die!"
Shen Rongyin panicked as well. She hadn’t expected the disciples of the Profound Yellow Sect to actually consider getting physical.
Seeing this, Xu Nian sneered, "Consort Shen, you seem to have forgotten your situation. You have no one to protect you now, and the tempers of our Sect’s disciples are not exactly mild."
"Try laying a hand on me and see!" Shen Rongyin retorted, her expression ugly.
The Players immediately grew incensed and all turned their gazes towards Xu Nian.
Xu Nian’s mouth twitched. Good grief. This woman is unbelievably stubborn.
"You few Female Disciples," Xu Nian said, gesturing with his hand, "take her to the passage over there and make her understand who she’s dealing with." He then turned around and added, "The rest of you, continue searching to see if there are more such Stone Steles."
Hearing this, Sister Zhou and the others sprang into action. This was an order from the Sect Leader, so they had to comply. The female Players were ruthless, directly dragging Shen Rongyin towards the passage.
At this moment, Shen Rongyin was thoroughly panicked. How dare he! How could Xu Nian lay hands on me? Bastard!
"Let go of me! What are you trying to do? I am from the Shen Family, an Imperial Consort of the Imperial Palace, the future Empress Dowager, you—"
Before she could finish, Xu Nian sharply turned his head. "Wait a second!" he suddenly spoke up, stopping Sister Zhou and the others in their tracks.
"What did you just say you are? The future Empress Dowager?" Xu Nian squinted, a light chuckle escaping him. "It seems you have quite a few secrets I don’t know about!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Rongyin’s expression changed. She had been terrified just now, so she blurted it out in a moment of desperation. But...
"Tsk tsk," Xu Nian mused with a smile. "The position that Ninth Brother and the others are desperately vying for already seems to have a candidate. No wonder you started acting so strangely after speaking with Eighth Brother. I also seem to understand why you’ve managed to survive until now. The ’future Empress Dowager’... that’s indeed a very important identity."
Shen Rongyin remained silent. Even Zhao Qixian and Kong Qingquan looked gravely serious. This matter now involved secrets of the Imperial Family. Once affairs were connected to the Imperial Family, even the simplest things would become complicated, and it was feared that many would die because of this.
"Shen Rongyin, will you translate this Stone Stele or not?" Xu Nian stared at her. "This is the Nine Dragons Secret Treasure. If an Imperial Consort dies here, no one would suspect me. Wouldn’t you agree?"
Seeing that Xu Nian wasn’t joking, Shen Rongyin’s heart sank. He really would kill me! For me, staying alive now seems to be the only option. That person gave me a choice, but now that opportunity seems to have vanished. Xu Nian will definitely kill me!
"Alright, I’ll translate!" Shen Rongyin said coldly.
"Smart!" Xu Nian immediately smiled.
Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Shen Rongyin slowly stepped forward and examined the Stone Stele on the ground.
"It’s no use. There are quite a few characters here I don’t recognize," Shen Rongyin said with a frown. "To find out what’s written, I would have to ask my master. I can’t do this alone."
Just as she finished speaking, Xu Nian received a System Task notification:
[Task: Historical Text.]
[Description: The Historical Text records the true secrets of the Nine Dragons Secret Treasure. Find Li Baiyang to decipher its content.]
[Objective: Have Li Baiyang decipher the Historical Text.]
[Reward: Depends on the Host’s completion.]
[Tip: The Host may delegate this Task to his disciples. Tasks can be freely subdivided, and rewards are limited to Contribution Points. Furthermore, this Task’s reward must not exceed one thousand Contribution Points.]
Another Task worth one thousand Contribution Points? Xu Nian’s expression immediately grew serious. The Task to explore the Nine Dragons Secret Treasure hadn’t ended yet. Once it concluded, the Players would receive one thousand Contribution Points, and now here was another Task offering the same amount. Is this reward a bit too high?
"Forget it. Let’s take this Stone Stele back first," Xu Nian instructed. "Everyone, pack up. Take what you can, and leave what you can’t here."
For the Players, there weren’t many things that held their interest for long anyway.
"Bro, come help lift this Wolf Meat! We’ll roast and eat it together when we get back."
"Hey, Fatty, why are you carrying so much Gold, Silver, and Jewelry?"
"I’m dirt poor in real life; can’t I enjoy myself a little in the game?"
"Alright, alright. As long as you’re happy, you joker."
Watching the Profound Yellow Sect Disciples busy themselves, Yan Ruyu also brought her disciples over to help. They had managed to grab quite a few secret manuals and would need to organize them after returning; for now, leaving together with the people of the Profound Yellow Sect was most important.
Zhao Qixian and Kong Qingquan also helped the Little Boss with the Wolf Meat, seemingly in no rush to leave the Profound Yellow Sect’s group.
Xu Nian watched them, his lips twitching. Are they planning to freeload off me?